What to expect from Nintendo’s big video game presentation

Nintendo has decided to again abstain from a flashy Monday press conference at E3. Instead, the Japanese game maker will broadcast its news live over the Internet on Tuesday, June 16.
Josh Miller/CNET

Nintendo returns to this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo as an outlier.

The Japanese game maker, in a repeat of its 2014 strategy, will announce all its news for the year's largest video game trade show during a video streamed online simultaneously across the globe. This taps into its Nintendo Direct series, which began in 2011 as a way for Nintendo to broadcast its game announcements live over the Internet.

After receiving positive feedback for its no-frills, 45-minute video at last year's E3 show, Nintendo will broadcast its special "digital event" at 9 a.m. PT (12 p.m. ET) on Tuesday, June 16.

Presentation aside, Nintendo is in a bit of a bind. Company executives have already noted that one of the most anticipated games for its Wii U console, the next iteration of The Legend of Zelda adventure series, will not be making an appearance at E3. (The game was delayed to 2016.)

Nintendo fans play an early demo version of Super Smash Bros. for the Wiii U at the Nintendo booth at last year's E3.
Josh Miller/CNET

As one of the oldest companies in the industry, Nintendo owns many of the most iconic and loved names in gaming, from Super Mario and Zelda to Kirby and Donkey Kong. Yet the devotion of its fans isn't translating to success as easy as it has in past years.

The Wii U, launched sooner than competitors' offerings in 2012 with less flashy graphics and a wacky tablet-size controller, has suffered from anemic consumer adoption. The device is only just now picking up steam. Meanwhile, sales of Nintendo's 3DS are beginning to slow as smartphones eat away at the need for a dedicated mobile gaming device. To excite consumers going forward, Nintendo is faced with a challenge: How to reinvent itself while still selling gamers the nostalgia-fueled experiences Nintendo's business relies on.

So what can we expect from Nintendo at E3?

For starters, the company has a few new releases, including a new installment of its high-profile Star Fox title. The popular space shooting game, in which players assume the role of the titular fox as he dogfights opponents in aerial combat, is in the works for the Wii U under legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Miyamoto gave a brief demo of an early version of the game last year. Among the news gamers are hoping to hear: when it will be released. It's widely expected to hit the market in 2015, especially now that Zelda has been pushed to 2016.

Other games set to make an appearance include a new title centered on Super Mario's dinosaur companion, Yoshi, called Yoshi's Woolly World. Nintendo is also expected to offer more information about a new Mario Maker game that lets players design and play their own levels. Both titles are due this fall.

Nintendo may also share North America and Europe release dates for a number of Nintendo titles that will be released first in Japan. Those include action game Xenoblade Chronicles X, which hit the Japanese market in April for the Wii U. It's expected to arrive in North America and Europe sometime this year.

English-speaking players are also waiting for more information on two highly anticipated games for the 3DS handheld: Bravely Second: End Layer, which was released in Japan in April, and Fire Emblem If, which has a June release date in Japan. Both are expected to arrive in Western markets at some point in 2016.

Nintendo's challenge is about making as big a splash as it did last year, when it launched a slate of new games. Those included fighting game Super Smash Bros., racing title Mario Kart 8, multiplayer shooter Splatoon and a reboot of the adventure classic The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

No matter what happens at E3 next week, some fans may be disappointed.

There are also rumors about what Nintendo may showcase at the event. Nintendo hasn't released a flagship Super Mario game in two years and may lift the veil on what it's been working on in the time since. Nintendo may also return to the well after a long hiatus with a reboot of its sci-fi Metroid franchise. The series hasn't seen a release since 2010's Metroid: Other M for the original Wii. Fans -- and critics -- feel the Wii U is overdue.

There's also speculation that a new Nintendo Account system will be announced, the long overdue replacement for Club Nintendo, a poorly received customer loyalty program. Nintendo Account is expected to introduce a new unified system that bridges the Wii U and 3DS hardware.

That system is expected to be tied to an online account instead of forcing gamers to create accounts tied directly to console hardware. That would bring Nintendo up to date with account systems that have existed for years for Microsoft's Xbox Live service and Sony's PlayStation Network.

CNET will be bringing you all the news from Nintendo's Tuesday press conference and the remainder of E3 2015. Check here for more details throughout the show.